The Gambling Policy Commission is an independent committee established to undertake the most comprehensive review of gambling legislation in the United Kingdom since the publication of the Budd Report in 2001.

Our purpose is to examine whether the framework established by the Gambling Act 2005 remains fit for purpose and to develop evidence-based recommendations capable of informing gambling legislation for the decades ahead. The Committee operates independently of government, political parties, and the gambling industry, bringing together experts appointed for their knowledge and experience.

The world in which the 2005 Act was conceived looks very different from the gambling market of today. Smartphones, social media, digital payments, cryptocurrencies, prediction markets and artificial intelligence have transformed the technological and commercial landscape, while remote gambling has expanded significantly.

At the same time, the boundaries between gambling, financial markets and digital entertainment have become increasingly blurred. Successive governments have responded through incremental reforms, but there has been no comprehensive reassessment of the legislation itself.

That reassessment is particularly timely. The 2023 Gambling White Paper introduced significant reforms without substantially changing the primary legislation; HM Treasury has recently made major changes to gambling taxation; and the Government has announced plans to end the ‘Aim to Permit’ principle that has underpinned the liberalising framework of the 2005 Act.

Alongside evolving evidence on gambling-related harm and growing concerns about illicit and offshore gambling, these changes raise fundamental questions about what the next generation of gambling regulation should look like.

The Committee will examine these questions across eight principal areas: the Gambling Act itself; the implementation of the 2023 White Paper; taxation and economic regulation; illicit gambling; the relationship between gambling and sport, including British horseracing; gambling-related harm; innovation and technology; and the coordination of gambling policy across government and regulators. Our work will be guided by six principles: independence, evidence, proportionality, innovation, transparency and practicality.

Over the course of the project, the Committee will commission research from leading academics and practitioners across economics, law, public policy, technology, financial services, consumer protection, competition policy, sport and gambling. This research will inform discussion papers, calls for evidence and interim findings, culminating in a final report setting out recommendations for the future legislative framework and, where appropriate, draft legislative proposals.

Our ambition is not simply to critique the existing system, but to provide a credible and practical blueprint for the future of gambling regulation in the United Kingdom.